Cover for folding grandstands



' C. MACKINTOSH COVER FOR FOLDING GRANDSTANDS d March 10, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 22. 1954 K R NW N VENTOR ATTORNEY c.MACKINTOSH 2,876,503 COVER FOR FOLDING GRANDSTANDS March '10, 1959 FiledJuly 22. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Q COVERFOR FOLDING GRANDSTANDS Charles Mackintosh, Los Angeles, Calif.Application July 22, 1954, Serial No. 445,037 7 Claims. (Cl. 201.126)

The present invention broadly relates to the artof folding grandstandsand is directed more particularly to a cover or enclosure for suchgrandstands.

Folding grandstands are peculiarly well adapted for use in indoorgymnasiums, auditoriums, arenas and the like where floor space is at apremium and are, in fact, more frequently found installed here thanelsewhere since when folded they, occupy a small fraction of the floorspace required for fixed extended stands and yet are capable ofextension to provide a seating capacity fully comparable with that offixed stands. Normally, gymnasiums are designed so as to provide aplurality of practice playing surfaces or courts when the stands arefolded but usually only a singlecentral tournament court surrounded bystands when the latter are extended to open or operative position. As aconsequence of this arrangement, the folded stands must be closelyadjacent the borders of the practice courts. Frequently, andparticularly at the present time where the school population hasincreased at so rapid a rate and has far exceeded the ability ofmunicipal authorities to provide adequate facilities, it is necessary touse all the available floor space in a gymnasium to its fullest extent.When the practice courtsare thus fully occupied, the exposedunderstructure of the folded stand with its sharp edges and projectingparts represents a distinct hazard to players, especially when they arein the heat of a close contest and are not exercising normal caution.

Where the top of the folded stand is open, it is also likely thatplaying equipment, such as balls and the like, will fall between thesections of the stand and become lodged therein so that it becomesnecessary to go to the trouble and inconvenience of at least partiallyopening the stand to gain access to the article.

Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to maintain a completelydust-free gymnasium and hence dust tends to accumulate on the exposedsurfaces thereof, which dust must be removed before the stands can beused in order to avoidsoiling the clothes of persons sitting thereon.

The need for a cover for folding grandstands istherefore readilyapparent. Attempts have been made heretofore to enclose a grandstand bymeans of sheet members permanently attached to the under surface of theforemost section of the stand which member is outermost when the standis folded, or bymanually operated cover flaps. In the first case, itisimpossible to close off the top of the folded stand by an elementpermanently attached to the stand unless that element takes the form ofa barrier placed in front of the first row of seats, which is obviouslyimpractical in most instances, and, in the second case, as the height ofa folded stand usually considerably exceeds that of a normal individual,special tools, step-ladders or the like. are required to close, theflaps, particularly that at the top of the stand. It would therefore behighly desirable if at least parts of the clos e. no ead y cc s b e to ap on, o nor a he gh v were controlled or operated;- automatically, thus2. greatly simplifying the task of'moving the stand to and from itsfolded position.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a foldinggrandstand with a cover with in combination with the wall or othersupporting structure to which the stand is mounted and the floor beneaththe stand effectively encloses the folded stand, such cover including asheet member bridging the top of the stand which is operatedautomatically by the movement of the stand from closed to open positionand vice versa.

Another object of the invention is to provide a foldable grandstand withan automatically operated top cover member and a front cover memberwhich may bemoved to enclosing position. by a person of normal'height.

A further object is to provide an alternative form of front closurewhich is also automatically brought into enclosing position by themovement. of the stand. from open to closed position.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 is a right elevation of a folding grandstand inextended position having associated therewith the automatically operatedtop closure of the present invention and one form of front closure whichmay be employed therewith;

Fig. 2 is a view of the folded position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2showing the details ofthe automatic operating meansv for the top closure;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the top closure operating means with thetop closure removed;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of locking means for retaining the frontclosure of Fig. 1 in enclosing position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sideelevation of a grandstand having associatedtherewith an automatically operated front closure, the stand being inextended position; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the stand in foldedposition and the front closure in enclosing position.

The cover of the present invention is particularly adapted for use withfoldinggrandstands of the typedescribed and illustrated in my priorPatents 2,663,913 and 2,663,914for Grandstands which issued December 29,1953, and my co-pending' application, Serial No. 250,509 forGrandstands, filed- October 9, 1951, now Patent 2,817,121 although itwill be understood that the utility of the invention is by no meanslimited to these three specific designs. In Figures 1 and 2 theinvention is shown in association with a grandstand of the typedescribed and claimed in my co-pending applicationv just referred to,the grandstand being installed in a. gymnasium, auditorium or arenahaving a floor 10 and a Wall 12. In general, the grandstand consists ofa plurality of frame sections, in this case three, 15, 16, 17'. Allthree sections are generally similar in construction and compriseprincipally spaced parallel bearns 18 on which. are mounted suitabletransversely extending seat boards 20 and foot boards 21, the seatboards being preferably supported a short distance above the level of,parallel beams 18. by means of vertical posts 22. Theupper frame section15 ispivotally attached to a horizontal bracket 23 fixedly mounted tothe'wall 12 and ishingedly connected to intermediate section 16 which,in turn, is hingedlyconnected to lower section 17, the hinge. meansbeing placed on alternating sides of parallel beams 18 in the manner ofa rule joint in order that the beams may collapse in folding fashion; tothe position shown in Figure 2. Suitable; supporting means 26 isprovided at each joint and, preferably, a wheeled supporting means 27is-secured to intermediate section. 16 aboutmidway grandstand of Fig. 1in enclosed of its length. It is desirable that rollers 28 be providedon the front end of lower section 17 in order to facilitate the foldingoperation. The other details of the grandstand per se haveno particularrelation to the present invention and a description of such details maybe found in my co-pending application.

The top cover member of the present invention is generally indicated bythe numeral 30 and consists of a rectangular planar or sheet member,formed of plywood or the like, pivoted, as at 31, to the wall 12 at apoint 1 spaced above the bracket 23. Normally, a number of the top covermembers are employed, placed end to end along the wall, the precisenumber required being dependent upon the length of the grandstand. Forthe purposes of illustration, however, only a single member has beenshown and it will be understood that all of the I sheet members arevirtually identical.

The actuating means for the top cover member bears the genericdesignation 33 and is shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4. This actuatingmeans consists of a rod member 34 pivoted at one end to the bracket 23and having telescoping relation with an elongated tubular member 35. Thetubular member is slotted at its free end, as at 36 for the reception ofa roller 37 which is retained in position by a suitable pin or axle 38.It is desirable that the actuating means 33 be lengthwise adjusted andto this end the rod 34 is formed with a series of apertures 39 adoptedto be placed in registration with a pair of diagonally oppositeapertures 40 drilled I in tubular member 35, a cotter pin or similardevice 41 being inserted therethrough to retain the elements 34 and 35in any given position.

' The actuating member 33 is slidably engaged by the rear edge of theuppermost of the seat members 20,

specifically designated 20a, and to prevent the member 33 from movinglaterally during closure of the stand the rear edge of seat board 20a isnotched or slotted as at 45, tubular member 35 resting within this notchand being guided thereby.

Roller 37 is in rolling contact with the under surface 1' of top covermember 30 and when the grandstand is in T its closed or collapsedposition, shown in Figures 2 and 3, the top cover member is supported byroller 37, the

combined length of rod 34 and tubular member 35 being soadjusted thattop cover member 30 assumes a slightly downwardly inclined position.Although such position is not essential, it is desirable in that ballsor other sports gear which might become thrown on top of the foldedstand thus tend to roll or slide off the top rather than remainingthereon. When the grandstand is opened Figure 1. In this position, topcover member 30 does not'interfere with the activities of persons seatedon the grandstand and cannot constitute a hazard to such persons as itis held firmly and securely until the stand is once more folded. Duringthe folding operation, the upper stand section pivots downwardly andinwardly allowing the top cover member to swing outwardly from wall 11under its own weight. To insure that top cover member 30 does not dwellin its vertical or dead center position, a V-shaped leaf spring 46 issecured to the inner edge of top cover member 30, the force of thespring being such as to urge the cover member slightly outward- 1y fromwall 11, after which the member will move of its own accord.

It is desirable that some secondary means be supplied for assisting theactuating member in supporting top cover member 30 in horizontalposition.

In the particular grandstand illustrated in Fig. -1, the connectionbetween stand sections 16 and 17 occurs at a point such that theuppermost foot board 21a is in a position to fulfill this function. Instands of other lengths, a seat board will be in the necessary positionwhile in still other cases it may be necessary to attach to the upperend of the lowest stand section a bracket or steady rest which willcontact and support the outer end of member 30.

The seat board 20a and its associated vertical post act, of course, as alever, the movement of the seat board being transmitted to top covermember through actuating member 33. It will be noted that due to theparticular arrangement of these elements the moment arm of the forceapplied to the member 33 is at maximum when the top cover member isapproximately horizontal and the load to be moved is at a maximum. Onthe other hand, as top cover member 30 approaches its vertical position,the moment arm of the applied forces decreases but as the load alsolessens the actuating member does not become overstressed. The operationof the device is fully automatic, depending solely on the movement ofthe grandstand to and from closed position. While the showing of onlyone actuating member in association with the member 30 is deemedadequate for an understanding of the invention, obviously any member maybe utilized that is required to move the member 30 without bending orfailure.

- vided along the edge of panel 50 remote from hinge 49 a shortextension panel 51 held in a position extending angularly from the planeof panel 50 by means of a bracket 52. Upon raising panel 50 to itsvertical position, the extension panel 51 acts asa continuation of topcover member 30 to virtually fully enclose the grandstand. Should theangular position of extension panel 51 interfere with the movement ofthe wheel supporting means 27 during the opening or closing operation,the extension panel may be hinged to panel and suitable detent meansprovided for retaining it in angular position. Alternatively, theextension panel may be dispensed with and top cover member 30 extendedthe full width of the stand.

In Figure 5 I have shown a simple form of locking means which may beemployed to maintain the front panel 50 in its vertical and enclosingposition. This locking means comprises an Allen head bolt 55 mounted inpanel 50 for rotation about a horizontal axis, the head of the boltbeing accessible from in front of the panel 50. Secured, as by welding,to the inwardly projecting end of bolt 55 is a rod 56, the upper end ofwhich is bent inwardly at a slight angle as at 57 so as to be capable offrictionally engaging the under side of one of the seat boards 20. Thelower arm 58 of the rod 56 is somewhat longer than the upper arm 57 and,accordingly, the lock is held by gravity in its open or lockingposition. It will be evident that this locking means may be actuatedfrom the exterior of the folded stand by means of a common Allen headwrench, the wrench being inserted in the socket of the Allen head boltand the bolt and rod 56 rotated to the desired position.

A modified form of front closure is depicted in Figures 6 and 7, onlyjust enough of the front or lower grandstand section being illustratedas is necessary toa complete understanding of this embodiment. As wasthe case with the preceding embodiment, the grandstand consists ofparallel beams 18' which support transverse foot boards 21' and seatboards 20', the latter being mounted on vertical post 22'. The modifiedform of the invention, however, differs from that previously describedin that the seat board 29' is'conn'ected to the upper end of verticalpost 22' by means of a hinge 60 having one'leaf 60:: connected to theunder surface of the seat board 20 and the other leaf 60b connected topost 22'. Secured to post 22 for pivotal movement-is an elongated platemember 61, the pivotal axis of member 61 being located somewhat closerto its upper end than to its lower end. Seat board 20' is connected tothe upper end of member 61 through a link 62 while the lower end of thatmember is connected through a link 63 to a rectangular planar or sheetmember 64, constructed of plywood or the like, one

end of which is swingably attached, as at 65, to-the front edge of theunderside of seat board 20'. A tension spring 66 is connected to leaf60b of hinge 60 at one end and to the lower end of plate member 61 atthe other. Sheet member 64 corresponds generally in wdith to thedistance between the edges of adjacent seat boards and it will beunderstood that a sufiicient number of sheet members is employed toextend when arranged side by side the full length of the grandstand.

The location of the pivotal axis of the connection of member 61 to post22' and of links 62 and 63 to member 61 are so selected that when thegrandstand is in its extended position indicated in Figure 6 that theleaves 60a and 60b of binge 60 will be in face-to-face contactingrelationship, the seat board 20 extending horizontally while the sheetmember 64 is in a slightly out of vertical position tucked away beneaththe front edge of seat board 20 and the member 61 extending angularlywith respect to vertical post 22 and maintained in this position byvirtue of spring 66. As the stand is folded, the sheet member 64 swingsunder its own weight to maintain its position approximately vertical andin so doing pivots the member 61 about its axis which in turn swings theseat board 20' upwardly and outwardly about the pintle axis of binge 60.When the sheet member has swung to the point where the lower end ofmember 61 is just left of dead center, spring 66 comes into play andurges the elements to their fully extended position where they remainuntil the stand is moved to its closed position, shown in Figure 7.While the weight of sheet member 64 would, in all probability, beadequate to actuate the device, the utilization of spring 66 imparts inthe mechanism a positive and direct action, insuring that it does notdwell in dead center position. The elf-center location of the pivotedaxis of member 61 is necessary in order to give sheet member 64 agreater throw or extent of movement than seat board 20'. The parts 61,62, 63 and 66 may be considered as constituting an unbalanced snapaction linkage which forcefully and positively moves to either of itsrest positions upon being moved past dead center.

Locking means of the type described in connection with Figure 5 isprovided at the rearward edge of each of the seat boards 20' in order tosecure the free edge of sheet member 64 in its vertical position as isclearly shown in Figure 7.

To prevent wear at the front edge of member 64 as a result of repeatedcontact with the locking means, a short length of angle iron 67 may beattached to this edge.

Although I have described the mechanism in connection with only a singleseat board, it will be appreciated that any number of seat boards mayhave a swinging sheet member and actuating mechanism associatedtherewith. When the seat boards and the sheet members are in the fullyextended position of Figure 7, they present to the exterior a more orless continuous surface which although not smooth neverthelesseffectively enclose the front of the stand, preventing persons frominserting their hands or arms between the elements of the stand andkeeping sports equipment from being hit or thrown into and behind thestand.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that minor modifications indesign and structural details may be I required to meet the requirementof a particular installation andI do not wish to be limited to thespecific features of the embodiments described and illustrated except asmay be indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A cover for folding grandstands including at least one section,movable from an open inclined position to a. closed vertical position, avertical support for. the rear end of said section, and a plurality oftransverse seat boards on said section, said cover comprising a topplanar member pivoted at one end to said vertical support and pivotablefrom an out-of-the-way position substantially co-planar with saidvertical support when the stand section is in open position to agenerally horizontal position extending over the stand section when thelatter is in closed position, an elongated lever member pivoted at oneend on a fixed axis to said vertical support adjacent the rear end ofsaid section, the other end of said member abutting the under surface ofthe top planar member and freely movable laterally thereof, an elementfixedly carried by and movable with said section, said element being insliding engagement with said lever member intermediate the ends of thelatter, the movement of said element as said section is moved to andfrom open position from and to closed position being effective throughsaid lever member to move said top planar member to and from itsout-of-the-way position from and to its horizontal position,respectively, said lever member pivoting outwardly and downwardly withrespect to said vertical support when the section is moved to closedposition, and front closure means cooperating with said top member whensaid stand section is in closed position to substantially completelycover two sides of said stand.

2. The grandstand cover as in claim 1 wherein the element of saidsection in sliding engagement with said lever member is the uppermost ofsaid seat boards.

3. The grandstand cover as in claim 1 wherein said front closure meanscomprises means mounting a plurality of said seat boards for pivotalmovement from a horizontal position when said stand is open to avertical position when said stand is closed and a panel member pivotedto each of said pivoted seat boards, said panel member substantiallycorresponding in width to the distance said boards are spaced from eachother and being swingable from an out-of-the-way position beneath saidseat boards when said stand is open to a vertical extended position insubstantial alignment with said seat boards when said stand is closed,said panel member and its associated board being connected together bymeans other than said pivotal connection whereby movement of one of saidboards and panel member effects movement of the other.

4. The grandstand cover as in claim 3 wherein means are provided forlocking the free edge of said panel member to the near edge of the nextadjacent seat board when said board and panel are in aligned verticalposition, said means being accessible from the exterior of the foldedstand.

5. The grandstand cover as in claim 3 including a vertical support forsaid seat boards wherein said other connecting means comprises anelongated plate member pivoted to said vertical support and link meansconnecting the ends of said plate member to said seat board and saidpanel member respectively.

6. The grandstand cover as in claim 5 in which the upper end of saidplate member is linked to said seat board and the lower end to saidpanel member, the axis of the pivotal connection of said plate member tosaid vertical support is located nearer to said upper end than to saidlower end, and spring means in tension connects said lower end to saidvertical support.

7. The combination with a grandstand having a plurality of sectionshingedly connected together for move meat from an inclined open positionto a vertical and parallel closed position, and a plurality oftransverse seat boards mounted on said sections, of a front closure forsaid grandstand comprising means mounting a plurality of said seatboards for pivotal movement from a horizontal position when said standis open to a vertical position when said stand is closed and a panel member pivoted to each of said pivoted seat boards, said panel membersubstantially corresponding in width to the distance said boards arespaced from each other and being swingable from an out-of-the-wayposition beneath said seat boards when said stand is open to a verticalextended position in substantial alignment with I said seat boards whensaid stand is closed, said panel member and its associated board beingconnected to References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS Re. 19,373 Wetzel Nov. 13, 1934 Y 966,019 I Huffman Aug. 2, 19102,030,776 Vance Feb. 11, 1936 2,054,960 Adamson Sept. 22, 1936 2,061,235Horn Nov. 17, 1936 2,147,564 vVance Feb. 14, 1939

